As a pedestrian who uses Recreational Paths to get to work every day, I just wanted to point out that they are not bike paths; they are there for the use of everyone who wants to use them, in a sane and safe way (at least they are in my city - your city may differ, of course). Maybe part of the pedestrian/biker conflicts comes from the idea on the part of bikers that these darn pedestrians keep clogging up their bike paths. (And I do agree with you on the stupid pedestrians - doing ignorant, dangerous things is not limited to any particular group, unfortunately.)
You might find this Kids in the Hall sketch helpful.
We have superb bike paths in Calgary, at least 150km along the two rivers. Near downtown there is a very congested area near a huge kiddy wading pool and playground, a large market and park, lots of tourists…I was walking there on a beautiful day and there were thousands of pedestrians jamming the path.
Suddenly through the crowd comes superjock young female on her high tech mountain bike, sending a wave through the crowd as she slalomed through the people at high speed. As she went by me I could see she had it all, lycra sports clothes, sport goggles, helmet. She was standing up on her pedals to go faster and her teeth were bared in rage at all the people slowing her down.
Miscreant, you posted:
“They are just a bunch of boring men, trying to escape their boring lives by nearly killing others.”
Go fuck yourself with a dildo and sell the pictures on the internet you bigoted twat. If you said the same thing about, well… you get my drift. Go puke your man-hating shit somewhere else. If it wasn’t for men looking after you you would be dead. Smarten the fuck up.
(this is my first ever flame) {bow}
I don’t know where you live, but everywhere that i’ve been they’re called multi-use paths, and the rule on them (in fact, the rule on all such recreational paths in the US unless noted otherwise) is that bikes must yield to peds, and all must yield to horses or other animals.
As for your bit about the family in the dark, the same rule goes for sidewalks. And reflectors are not easy to see unless you shine a light directly on them. If you’re going to be riding around in the dark, you should really carry a light.
originally posted by Al Zheimers
Go fuck yourself with a dildo and sell the pictures on the internet you bigoted twat. If you said the same thing about, well… you get my drift. Go puke your man-hating shit somewhere else. If it wasn’t for men looking after you you would be dead. Smarten the fuck up.
Al Zheimers: My apologies Al, but I’ve yet to see a woman doing the ‘Lance Armstrong’ thing, but when I do, the same shit will ABSOLUTELY apply to her. I just don’t happen to know the name of any famous female cyclists. It’s not a man hating thing, I love men, I would just prefer that they not kill me.
Featherlou: I hear you but there are ** BIG, HUGE ** signs that say ‘BIKE PATH’! It runs through a forest preserve for goodness sake! The sign even instructs walkers to stay on their left.
zyzzyva: see above. Plus, I was riding into oncoming traffic. Headlights were hiting the reflector. There’s no way they could have missed it (we went back the next night, WALKING the bike, in the same place, just to be sure) And for the record, I don’t usually bike in the dark or I would have had a light. I had to get a new bike (completly unplanned, the one I was on broke in the middle of the ride and we walked to the bike shop) and we got caught in the dark on the way home. I’m wouldn’t even have been piss had they even slowed their walk down long enough to ask if I was ok.
As for the stupid twat in Calgary, you should have clotheslined her! These are EXACTLY the kind of people who give bike riders a bad name. What an asswipe! She is a ‘Lance Armstrong’ who deserves to have her feet duct taped to pedals for the rest of her natural life and forced to ride in endless circles.
Here I’ve been feeling guilty for ripping you a new asshole with my foul-mouthed flame and you go and take it like a sport. You’re cool, it’s just a message board and it ain’t personal. I was in a bad mood and I thought I detected politically correct man-bashing.
I’ve been cycling for decades, fanatically, long distance touring and around town. I see crazy stupid bicyclists all the time. A lot of beautiful trails in the mountain parks are closed to bikes now because self-centered superjocks couldn’t stop themselves from going off trail and chewing up the landscape. The cops here set up radar traps on the bike paths, not often enough if you ask me.
Anyway, I’m going for a bike ride now. Aside from our slight misunderstanding Miss Creant, I agree with you 100%.
(A gypsy curse:) May all rude and inconsiderate bicyclists find themselves at emergency with a nurse scrubbing the gravel out of their road rash with a stiff brush.
The one I love is the father and/or mother and the children out for a nice little ride. The kids have dutifully donned their helmets and the terminal valve parents don’t have them on. Do they think that they won’t be injured if they fall? If you go over the bars at 3 miles per hour, it is plenty fast enough to give you permanent brain damage.
As for Mr. Wright, don’t be such a misanthrope. Sounds like the guy, replete with fighter jet noises, was having a bit of fun. What was clear to him is that you have a fashionable underbite replete with a stiff upper lip. He could easily see that you needed more fiber, so he was just trying to help you move along last night’s product. You are a bloody, non-consequentialist wanker, the type who makes love to his wife every Sunday night whether you’re in the mood or not. What you really need is to combust a massive spliff and then go belly blitzing on your mad mo-fo superbike!!
I love you Al.
It’s the same old shit… Many bikers on the road expect to be treated as motor vehicles - but ignore the rules of the road (cars can’t pass on the right to get to the front of the line at lights, or go up to a red light, then go through anyway. Both things I see bikers do everyday). Bikes on sidewalks and ‘multi-use’ paths expect to be treated as if they have the right of way over all others.
I’m feeling a bit bulldoggish this morning (probably the 30 C temp. in the office here), so I’m looking for a little clarification on your statement here. It almost sounds like you are claiming that bikers have first dibs on these paths. As zyzzyva pointed out correctly, pedestrians do have right of way on all recreational paths (with the horse exceptions, which I’ll overlook for this debate because they aren’t usually on the city paths so much). I don’t feel like I’m intruding on bike territory when I’m walking on these paths; I do, however, feel like the bikers think I am. (Oh, and if we’re going to talk signage, we have signs all over the place that say “Maximum 10 km/hr”, “Slow”, “Pedestrians have right of way”, etc.)
***originally posted by zyzzyva ***
don’t know where you live, but everywhere that i’ve been they’re called multi-use paths, and the rule on them (in fact, the rule on all such recreational paths in the US unless noted otherwise is that bikes must yield to peds, and all must yield to horses or other animals.
originally posted by featherlou
I’m feeling a bit bulldoggish this morning (probably the 30 C temp. in the office here), so I’m looking for a little clarification on your statement here. It almost sounds like you are claiming that bikers have first dibs on these paths.
My point is that, there are HUGE signs along the route that say ‘BIKE ROUTE’ I’m not claiming ownership, I’m just trying to get the peds to understand that I am riding WHERE I AM ALLOWED TO RIDE! And because I don’t want to hit anyone or scare them by whooshing by, I yell ‘ON YOUR LEFT’
as a courtesy, and when they move or acknowledge me, I always yell THANK YOU!
And there are signs of 15 mph speed limit, which the male/female ‘Lance Armstrongs’ seem to feel don’t apply to them. (and with all that gear on their bikes, I find it hard to believe that don’t have spedometers. Where are the damn bike police?)
Ah, I was reading your post with the wrong tone. Thanks for clearing up my misunderstanding 
Mr.Zippy appears to have lost his cyclist status… unfortunately, it doesn’t seem to have cramped his style. As I discovered this morning, shambling bleary-eyed in the direction of work… when, all of a sudden, I felt unfamiliar hands groping at my stomach, and realized that said hands were attached to a familiar figure, now shouting something at me in what sounded like Italian.
I reacted, naturally, with my customary early-morning aplomb; that is, I stood stock still and gawping like an imperfectly embalmed idiot, while Mr. Zippy gave me a huge grin and strolled off…
Although I have met this person only twice, and that briefly, I find that I have grown weary of him, and I would that he were elsewhere. Frankly, I have my fair share of mundane worries and difficulties in my life: I do not need the additional problem of random harassment by some seemingly motiveless Mediterranean pervert…
Sorry, people. Just had to vent a little spleen over that one…
Can I be the first to say it - Hunh?!? What’s up with that dude?
I would also like to say I’m sorry. I’d like to offer an explination though. Now, this by no means is an excuse for what this rude bloke does, but it might be a look into the cyclist psyche.
We like speed, danger, fun, and to show off. I think it’s in our nature. Sometimes we do stupid things to fulfill the “need for speed.” Again, this is not an excuse, just how we are. Some people can handle themselves in non-race environments and other can’t.
When you trip him up and total his bike; if he has any rolf wheels or ultegra components, let me know and I’ll tell you where to send them.
Mr Wright:
In the event that Signore Zippy returns to a wheeled estate, may offer the following suggestion?
Carry a handful of small caltrops with you at all times.